


The Windy Road

by Tinytokki



Series: Treasure (The Pirate Chronicles of ATEEZ) [6]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Backstory, Best Friends, Brotherly Angst, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Complicated Relationships, Drama, Family Drama, Fluff and Angst, Forced Prostitution, Gambling, Gen, Haunted Houses, Historical, Historical Inaccuracy, Parent-Child Relationship, Personal Growth, Pirates, Siblings, Tricksters, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-01-13 08:14:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21240977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinytokki/pseuds/Tinytokki
Summary: Little Mingi’s life is always an adventure, only without the actual dangerous parts. That is, until he comes to a mysterious town and meets a mysterious person who will turn everything he thought he knew on its head and make him question even himself.





	1. The Ghost Home

At eleven years old, Mingi had grown accustomed to the hectic nature of his daily life. The other children in the local schoolhouse had probably been there since they had started learning their letters, but the Song family always bounced around from place to place, and Mingi was leaps and bounds ahead of others his age academically, thanks to a top tier education last year with the prestigious Academy.

He always thought this was a fact that would benefit him someday, bring him and his family a measure of honour or pride, but every success was dry and pointless. The next day he might be moving away again. The reason for this was the Song family enterprise; trade. Mingi’s father wasn’t the type to set up shop and run a long lasting business, but instead relocate his travelling circus every time his suppliers moved with the seasons. Some villages were better than others, but as Mingi looked at the quaint and lovingly decorated cottage before them, he had to admit this might be the best so far.

His parents were wrapped up in the unpacking the moment they arrived, aided begrudgingly by Mingi’s older brother Minseok. Minseok was always upset every time the Song family moved, complaining that his friends would miss him once he left. But everyone knew it was impossible to make real friends when you only live somewhere for three months.

“Aren’t you going to come in, Mingi?” His mother was looking expectantly between her youngest and the two trunks in her hands. “Right, of course,” the lanky boy tripped up the steps and scooped up the baggage before lugging it inside and dropping it in the hallway. “Come look at the garden!” Mingi’s father called out from the back. “There’s plenty of room for you lads to play out here!”

It was indeed a very nice and well kept garden, with a sizeable field for playing and a lovely tree to climb. Mingi was halfway up when a voice came to him from nearby. “Careful with that branch, it’s wiggly.” Mingi almost fell out of the tree then and there in surprise. He tilted his head back to look up into the branches and, seeing nothing, scanned the surrounding bushes for the elusive owner of the voice.

“I’m over here.”

There he was. A boy who looked around Mingi’s age, but a good deal smaller, sitting casually in the bush to his right. Again, Mingi almost fell out of the tree in shock. “Who are you? And what are you doing in our garden?” He tried to sound stern, but his voice shook from the scare he had received.

“Forgive me, I didn’t know you were moving in today.” Mingi squinted at him in suspicion. Never before had a mysterious boy hidden in the bushes outside a new home in his experience. He supposed he’d have to ask Minseok if that had ever happened to him.

“Well, who are you? Do you live in that bush?”

The boy opened his mouth to answer after a moment of hesitation, but was cut off by a holler from the main house. “Mingi, come in here and bring your trunk up to your bedroom!” It was his mother. When Mingi recovered from almost falling out of the tree in surprise a third time, he turned to see the mysterious boy’s reaction. He was gone.

Mingi jumped down from the branches and ran over to the bushes, checking quickly to see if anything had been left behind. There was certainly a dip in the soil where someone had been sitting, so he hadn’t imagined it. But where the boy had gotten to so fast puzzled him, and he scratched his head before hurrying inside.

He dragged his trunk up a flight of stairs and down a creaky hallway before stopping at a door. It was a perfectly average, nondescript room, but it had a nice view of the ocean from a window, which Mingi appreciated. There were two beds on either side, and Minseok had already claimed one of them, so Mingi set up shop on the other. The window split the two of them, and he found himself glancing out of it frequently.

“Anything good in the garden?” His older brother remarked casually from where he was setting up a bookshelf. “There’s a great tree,” Mingi recounted. “Everything was a bit soggy. I suppose it is typhoon season. I wonder what’s planted out there.”

“It’ll be a surprise come spring,” Minseok’s words were detached, like he wasn’t really invested in the conversation. Mingi sighed and went back to his own things. Minseok was older, and apparently that meant he knew everything now. “I did find a surprise out there,” Mingi screamed at himself mentally to stop talking. Minseok would only make fun of him, best case. “What’s that?” His hyung turned around, curious.

“There was a boy in the bushes.”

“There was a what?” “A boy in the bu—“ “I heard you. What on earth was he doing there?” Mingi blushed as he was suddenly put on the spot. “Well, I didn’t exactly get the chance to ask him...” “Did he say anything at all?” Minseok looked unexpectedly serious, and Mingi couldn’t think of another time Minseok had looked anything but bored recently.

“Just that he didn’t know we were moving in today. I’ve no idea how long he’s been there, I only located him when he told me not to grab the wobbly tree branch.” Minseok stood from the shelf. “Is he still there now?” Mingi stood to match him, not exactly sure what his hyung was going to do about it but anxious nonetheless. “No, he disappeared when Mother distracted me. I don’t know where he went.”

Minseok turned to look out the window, face unreadable. “If he comes round again,” his voice was quiet but commanding, even as he returned to the bookshelf. “Tell him to get off our property.” Mingi couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Minseok was always so territorial and to no end. They’d move south by winter anyway. He realised the older was staring at him and mumbled, “Fine.” Both went back to their work. Minseok was right, the boy was probably a thief or a scoundrel of some kind to be trespassing around other people’s houses. Mingi would have to assert his dominance better.

The sun went down on their labours and the family of four gathered around the kitchen fire for their meal. Mother had packed food on their journey so they could focus on unpacking and preparing their new home once they arrived. As she and Father talked through the list of things they’d have to do in the week to come, Mingi took a good look around.

It wasn’t the grandest house they had lived in, but the attention to detail in the craftsmanship of the place was mesmerising. The ceiling was high with exposed beams, soft material covered all the furniture, and the floor had an attractive shine but was worn in a few places where it looked like dancing had taken place. “Are we going to replace anything?” Mingi looked expectantly at his parents. It would be a shame to do away with the treasures already established, but they did have things of their own to bring in.

“Perhaps some of it,” his mother answered. “I wasn’t aware it was already furnished, were you?” She turned to her husband, who lifted his head from his meal and hesitated for a moment. “I was,” he finally admitted. Now there were three pairs of eyes on him, and he had to explain.

“This house belonged to someone only a few days ago. The town officials said it was the only available place for us unless we wanted to be put up in the inn for the rest of summer. I took the offer despite his warning.” The tension was thick and silence prevailed until Mingi finally whispered, “Warning?”

“The previous owners died at sea last week. A husband and wife. The funeral was yesterday.” The crickets outside and the crackling fire were the only sounds while the rest of the family processed the news. “Oh my...” Mingi’s mother looked down, expression soft and regretful. “Is the sea quite unsafe here?”

Father went on to make some excuse about the seasonal typhoons to ease Mother’s mind, but Mingi was still paralysed as it struck him that the ghosts of the previous owners were probably among them. Stories filled his head of angry spirits harassing living families that take their possessions, and as he lay in bed that night, the cozy home was suddenly a haunted cottage.

Every creak of the wind on the walls, and every rustling sound from his hyung’s blankets as he shifted in bed renewed the pounding of Mingi’s heart. Perhaps this would actually be the worst home he had ever lived in.


	2. Diary Pages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> None of the other members of his family reported seeing a boy outside. Mingi was the only one who had come in contact with him. A seed of doubt began to grow that the boy wasn’t real after all... or perhaps he was a ghost.

Their second night in the new house, Mingi heard a horrible creaking sound at the window and ran to sleep with his mother. It didn’t matter what Minseok said, the place was clearly haunted and Mingi wouldn’t risk angering any ghosts.

As a result, he spent a good portion of time outside, mastering the tree and poking around in the garden. Anything to keep him out of the house and away from the potential supernatural activity. His parents informed him he’d have to begin at his new school next week and for once the prospect wasn’t altogether lacklustre— as long as the school wasn’t haunted as well.

His last day of freedom was at least a sunny one, and he lazed in the branches of the tree, at the top where he’d made himself an imaginary crow’s nest that also occasionally served as an imaginary castle tower depending on what mood he was in. Everything was going swimmingly, the imaginary evil pirates had all been shot down from the rigging where they pursued him, and it was smooth sailing until his stomach rumbled in a request for an afternoon snack.

He was on his way back down the tree trunk when a head of hair peeped up from the bushes to the right again and caught Mingi’s attention. He swallowed back his fear and remembered what Minseok told him as a wide pair of eyes met his own.

“You’d better get off our property!”

Eyebrows shot to the mysterious boy’s hairline. “Go on, you heard me! Don’t let me catch you here again or we’ll persecute you!”

Eyes crinkled in barely contained laughter. “Don’t you mean prosecute me...?” Mingi flushed bright red and stuttered back something or other about how he knew the difference and it was just a slip of the tongue. To be sure, he did know the difference and it was just a slip of the tongue, but now he was flustered just the same, and trying to regain composure and be rid of the boy in the bushes.

“All the same, you don’t belong here,” he tried to ignore how hurt the other boy looked by these words. “Go back to wherever you do belong and don’t let me catch you here again.” With that Mingi turned back to the house to make his way inside, job done to his own satisfaction. When he turned his head to check, just one last time, the boy had vanished.

Mingi’s gaze lingered even after he had gone in and shut the back door. He had told him to disappear, and it seemed that was what he had done. But the look of pain on his face when told he didn’t belong here stuck in Mingi’s mind. How could the boy belong here? In someone else’s house? Everyone knew you weren’t supposed to just traipse around other people’s houses.

“Anything interesting out there, Mingi?” It was his mother, a basket of laundry in her arms and a gentle smile on her face. He nodded eagerly. “Yes, there was someone!” Her smile broadened. “A real someone or an imaginary friend of yours?” Mingi frowned. “Oh, they were real. And not a friend either, I told him to go away.” His mother tilted her head at this.

“Well, isn’t that my little man. Showing the trespassers who’s on top.” She winked at him and carried on. Mingi sighed and let his head hit the window. Clearly she didn’t believe him. The boy in the bushes wasn’t imaginary and Mingi really had told him off.

His mother’s words continued to bounce around his head, however, as he munched on his snack. She must have assumed the boy was imaginary because she’d never seen him. And come to think of it, none of the other members of his family reported seeing a boy outside. Mingi was the only one who had come in contact with him. A seed of doubt began to grow that the boy wasn’t real after all... or perhaps he was a ghost. It would explain how he appeared and disappeared so quickly.

Mingi wanted to run out of the house then and there, getting as far away from the haunted place as possible, but no one else seemed to think it was haunted. No one else saw or heard any ghosts. If anything, he thought the ghosts would be those of the husband and wife who had died at sea. Which meant now there was a mystery on his hands. So Mingi swallowed his fear (and the rest of his snack) and crept up the stairs to do some investigating.

The primary exhibit of evidence for his theory was the creaking of the bedroom window. Mingi poked his head in first to check whether his brother was there, and seeing the room empty tiptoed in and quietly closed the door behind him, as if any loud noise would offend the ghosts or alert them to his presence. First, he made his way over to the window. It was cracked slightly open. Mingi frowned at it and cursed his past self for not checking if it had been locked in the first place.

An idea lit up his face and he pushed the pane closed and slid the lock into place. Now if he found it unlocked, he would know a ghost was tampering with it. Proud of his efforts, he turned to head back downstairs until he was interrupted by a creaking sound.

In an immediate panic, he whipped back around, half cowering in fear, half peeking at the window he just looked. But there it was, just as he had left it. Nothing strange or unusual. Mingi tried to even out his breathing and then turned back around slowly, aching to close the distance between himself and the door, itching to leave this spooky place.

He took another cautious, painstaking step and heard the creaking sound again. This time instead of jumping out of his skin he located the source of the sound. The floorboard under his foot creaked as he lifted his weight off of it. Mingi’s eyes lit up— it was a discovery!

He kneeled down and pulled the wiggly board up with ease. It was as if the board had been removed and replaced many times already. Gulping back his fear, he reached his hand slowly into the dark space below until it met something.

A book.

Mingi pulled it out through the space in the floor, just large enough to conceal it, and took a good look at it. The binding was falling apart, yellowed pages barely clinging on, but it looked to be a notebook of some kind, neat writing scrawled across pages and pages of a diary.

Mingi felt his heartbeat speed up.

Perhaps there were clues here.

No longer thinking about the presence he was sure was there, Mingi flopped onto his bed and began to flip through what he was quite positive was someone’s diary. He picked a random page and began to read.

“No occasion has brought such multitude of joy mixed with pain as yesterday has. I write this from the haven of my bed, with a watchful eye on the face of my beautiful newborn son. He is everything we dreamed of and more! His eyes sparkle, confused but captivating, and his perfect tiny nose leads to a full and persistent pout. I would give him the heavens if I could.”

Mingi crinkled his nose. This must be the mother. Only mothers spoke that way about their children. He turned the page past some more long lines of lyrical balladry until he found a few shorter entries, with dates that were further apart. Wondering what happened to cause this, he picked up reading at the top of the page.

“There is much less time for writing and wishing now that so much of it is occupied by caring for Hyunseok. I’ve done everything the physicians have ordered and yet his symptoms will not subside. This is a dark and frustrating time and my only wish is that my healthy Hyunseok will one day think back that his mother took care of him well.”

Mingi frowned and turned the page.

“The fever broke! Hyunseok’s cloudy eyes cleared for me this morning and everyone was called in from the waterfront to see him...”

Mingi found himself relieved to hear it and flipped through a few years of these people’s lives. After reading a few more sad entries he discovered Hyunseok’s health difficulties appeared to be chronic.

“I’ve had to keep Hyunseok in bed again today.”

(Mingi glanced around and wondered if it was his bed that Hyunseok had been laying on)

“He’s being difficult and telling me he wants to go to school and see his friends, but I’m afraid if I let him go, he won’t make it back.”

(Mingi paled at this. Hyunseok’s illness hadn’t sounded this bad before.)

“Again, the physicians came to make him comfortable and had nothing useful to say. I stopped the head doctor in the hallway to apologise for Hyunseok’s attitude but I saw it on the man’s face. He’s not hopeful.”

Mingi gasped and flipped further. The woman didn’t tell her husband what she knew to be true. Their son was dying. After a large gap in dates of entries, Mingi found one.

“I haven’t written in weeks, but there is nothing to say. Life has been nothing but shadows since our Hyunseok died.”

Mingi snapped the book shut. He suddenly felt horrible for reading what he had just read, even if the owner of the diary was gone. Those words were deeply personal and they drove Mingi to return the book to its secret place and hurry downstairs.

There was one thought that struck him as he lay in bed that night. Hyunseok died at around Mingi’s age, and the boy in the bushes looked to be around the same. Mingi’s mind worked relentlessly through the night.

Could the ghost in the bushes be the ghost of Hyunseok?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay I updated! And the next chapter is mostly written so that’ll be up soon as well. Next I plan to update the main series, though so head over there and catch up if you haven’t already! Thanks for reading and go ahead and leave a comment if you enjoyed :)


	3. A Market Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wasn’t sure why he did it. The diary had no real value, at least not to him, and if the ghost boy— or whatever he was— led him somewhere dangerous, he would be in big trouble. But he needed answers, and the opportunity had presented itself to get to the bottom of this mystery. Plus, it was kind of exciting running hard down the path in pursuit of a ghost criminal. The story he would have after this one would be completely true.

Mingi had almost forgotten about the haunted window.

His mother roused him for school and went to prepare his packed lunch while he got dressed. In a passing glance, he noticed it was still locked, just as he’d left it.

Part of him was disappointed. Not that the ghost hadn’t visited, of course, but that he hadn’t proven its existence.

He imagined the look on Minseok’s face, as he showed him the undeniable proof that their new residence was indeed haunted.

Mingi peeked out the back window at the tree and the bushes. Hyunseok, the boy in the bushes, the ghost— they were one and the same in Mingi’s mind. Everything fit together, all he had to do now was figure out what Hyunseok’s ghost wanted in his bedroom.

The walk to school wasn’t far, but Mingi took his time on the road, unwilling to get lost in the low lit rays of dawn.

There was an uneasy atmosphere over the schoolhouse that Mingi sensed as soon as he walked in. The school mistress was kind, and the other children were quiet, but something was off.

Mingi chalked it up to the recent death in town and attempted to focus on the lessons. He grew bored in the first hour when he already knew the material they were covering and launched a ball of paper at the boy sitting next to him.

Startled eyes were shaken out of their focus. “...Yes?” The boy whispered with an edge of annoyance. He looked more timid than anything else, so Mingi flashed him an easy smile and whispered his question back.

“Why is everyone so quiet? This is school, isn’t it? Not a funeral.”

The boy looked taken aback for a moment but answered with a cautious glance at the school mistress.

“It kind of is a funeral. I mean, the Kims just drowned last week...”

Oh.

Mingi had forgotten that minor detail.

“Right. Did you know them?”

For the first time, the boy cracked a fond smile. “Oh, everyone knew them. They were the best at sailing, on the whole northern cove I daresay.”

“What were they thinking going out in the middle of a typhoon then?” Mingi caught himself too late. The boy was already looking at him with horrified eyes and now Mingi was slapping himself internally.

What a great start.

“I don’t think you have any business to comment. You probably don’t know the first thing about sailing.”

“Of course I do.”

A complete lie. But now Mingi couldn’t stop himself, he had said what he did and now he had to keep going, lie snowballing into a totally fabricated tale of daring adventure on the high seas, one he could only ever imagine at best.

“Bosung!”

It was the school mistress.

“You can get to know the new student at lunchtime. Focus on your studies, please.”

Both boys repositioned their eyes on their desks, faces blazing red with embarrassment.

Mingi had started off worse in other towns, believe it or not, but this first day was a strong contender.

He packed up and headed home when they were dismissed without talking to anyone else, already planning a trip to the nearest library later to research all the sailing terminology he was now supposed to be an expert on.

“Anyone home?”

There was no answer.

Mother and Father were probably out working, but Mingi had no idea where Minseok would be. Perhaps he was hunting for work.

Tired of lugging around his bag full of new textbooks, Mingi hauled it up to his room to drop it off.

The door creaked open under his weight, and as he sighed and stepped in, a sudden movement drew his attention.

Someone was standing next to the window.

Mingi dropped his bag in surprise, opening his mouth to scream. Not a sound came out.

It was the boy— the ghost!

He looked as startled as Mingi, and jumped up from where he was crouched next to the open floorboard.

The diary was in his hand.

“Hey!”

Mingi didn’t get another word in before the boy turned and jumped out the window he had evidently entered from.

Mingi gasped and ran to the sill. Surely a jump from that height would kill or seriously injure the boy—

He spotted the criminal below, getting back to his feet and sprinting away, down the path toward the town.

Completely out of instinct and without a coherent thought on the matter, Mingi turned back and ran through the house, bursting back out the front door and taking off after the boy.

He wasn’t sure why he did it. The diary had no real value, at least not to him, and if the ghost boy— or whatever he was— led him somewhere dangerous, he would be in big trouble.

But he needed answers, and the opportunity had presented itself to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Plus, it was kind of exciting running hard down the path in pursuit of a ghost criminal.

The story he would have after this one would be completely true.

The ghost boy seemed to know his way around, dodging dips in the road and cutting corners through each bend, but Mingi didn’t think he had planned where he was going.

Mingi’s legs were longer, and all he had to do was catch the boy. He pushed harder through the cramp forming at his side.

The market came into view at the bottom of the hill. Mingi’s parents were probably there, searching for the best spot to sell their wares.

Mingi cursed the hilly landscape as his feet skidded on the dirt road with his momentum. The boy he was chasing risked a look over his shoulder and picked up speed, eyes widening in panic.

Now Mingi was at a disadvantage. The ghost boy weaved between bartering tradesmen with ease and he jogged along behind, dodging a stray cat and almost tripping over an apple barrel.

In the back of his mind, Mingi wondered why the ghost didn’t just pass through people or float through the stalls.

The mouthwatering smell of grilled meat wafted over to Mingi but he ignored it and turned the corner after the ghost boy.

He was trying to lose his pursuer in the chaos, but Mingi was gaining on him.

Mingi didn’t let it show, but he was tired. His legs were starting to ache and his breath had become laboured. He wasn’t sure how far they’d run, but he would certainly be checking later for dramatisation purposes.

He needed to end this chase somehow. So he called out a name.

“Hyunseok!”

The boy pulled to a halt so abruptly, Mingi crashed into him, both boys sprawling in the middle of the street.

A horse whinnied ahead of them, and Mingi looked up from their tangle of limbs to see a carriage fast approaching. Again without thinking, he pulled the boy up by his shirt collar and dragged him over to the side of the road. The carriage passed by.

It hit Mingi all of a sudden.

He had just touched the boy, barrelled into him, in fact, and then yanked him out of the way of oncoming doom.

This boy was not a ghost. He couldn’t be.

He turned with confusion to the criminal in question.

The boy was looking back with eyes full of swirling emotion. The diary remained clutched in his hand.

“How...”

He choked on his breath, pausing to recollect himself for a moment. Mingi realised they were both trembling.

“How do you know that name?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to back updates because I love youuu <3 Have you solved the mystery?? Please leave comments and kudos in return if you’re so inclined. Not to get your hopes up but expect more soon :))


	4. Hongjoong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Look, I’ve been around the country before. I’ve seen a lot in all of the different houses I’ve lived in. But let me tell you, you don’t just come to a cottage, find out the previous owners recently died, keep spying a trespasser in your backyard, and discover a hidden diary about a dead boy and not try to investigate.”

“You’re...real.”

Mingi completely ignored the thief’s question, staring wide-eyed at him before offering a hesitant hand to where he had unceremoniously dumped him.

“Yes, of course I’m real,” the boy huffed, rejecting Mingi’s hand and standing on his own. The shock present in his eyes only a second ago was gone. “What did you think I was- a ghost?”

Mingi watched him brush the dust off himself with a slack jaw. He tried to answer but only a few strangled noises came out and the mysterious boy’s face hardened in response.

“How do you know that name?” The boy repeated, softer this time. Mingi shook himself out of it and pointed to the diary, still protectively grasped by the thief.

“It’s in there. Hyunseok, the boy who... well, the boy who died. His mother wrote about it.”

“You thought I was him,” the boy sighed in recognition, looking away. The market continued to bustle around them and the boy suddenly took Mingi’s hand. “Follow me. We should speak somewhere private."

Mingi should have refused. He would already be in trouble for leaving alone, but he was just too curious about this boy who wasn’t Hyunseok’s ghost, but knew the name.

So he let himself be led beyond the market and along the street for a stretch before they veered off-road and approached the coast. They stopped at the top of the cliff, with the beach empty below.

Mingi forced himself to be patient and keep his mouth shut until the boy was ready to speak.

The boy wet his lips as if to say something, but halted mid-breath and sighed again. “Why couldn’t you just keep to yourself?” He asked quietly, almost to be mistaken as talking to himself. The wind tousled his mop of hair and it was almost like Mingi wasn’t there at all.

Mingi scoffed and took a seat in the grass, wary of the cliffside in front of him. “Look, I’ve been around the country before. I’ve seen a lot in all of the different houses I’ve lived in. But let me tell you, you don’t just come to a cottage, find out the previous owners recently died, keep spying a trespasser in your backyard, and discover a hidden diary about a dead boy and _not_ try to investigate.”

For all his confident talk, Mingi was very much eyeing the beach with a cautious glance. His mother had been very clear in telling him not to go there, not during typhoon season at least. The previous owners of their house had died only a couple weeks ago. And the wind was picking up again, dark clouds on the horizon speeding toward them.

“And I believe you- ghost thief, or boy in the bushes, or whoever you are- have some explaining to do.”

Attention officially redirected, Mingi crosses his arms impertinently and waited for a response.

The boy cracked a tiny smile at his nicknames before sobering and sitting down next to Mingi. He rubbed the back of his neck and kept his gaze on the sea. “It’s all so complicated,” he mumbled. “And I don’t even know you.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Mingi was practically pleading now, dropping the tough facade to give the boy his most earnest expression.

The stranger pouted back at him before his eyes seemed to unlock, resistance fading as he turned the diary over in his hands and began.

“Hyunseok was my older brother. He died before I was born, and for many years my parents wouldn’t talk about him. I just wanted to know as much as I could,” he admitted softly, gently stroking the side of the little book with his thumb. “This is all that’s left.”

It hit Mingi like a load of bricks.

“If your mother was the one who wrote this...” he realised aloud. “...then those were your parents who—“

“Yes,” the boy cut him off, refusing to look at him but staring again into the sea, his face a convoluted map of sorrow, longing, and anger.

Mingi felt pity well up inside him. “So it _is_ your house, then,” he told the boy, shifting uncomfortably. “You weren’t trespassing after all.”

“You threatened me if you caught me there again,” the boy explained. “But I had come for the book- the last thing I have left of them- so I came back one last time, intending to stay away once I had it. I really _did_ intend to stay away.”

Here he turned to face Mingi. “There’s nothing I can say or do to make you and your family go away. You moved into my house and... I live elsewhere now. That’s that. You don’t need to tell your parents you met me.”

He sounded resigned, but somewhere very deep inside was heartbroken that he had been forced to leave.

“Well, where do you live now?” Mingi’s brows drew together in concern. “Not actually in a bush, I hope.”

If the boy appreciated Mingi’s attempt to lighten the mood, he didn’t show it. “With my other relatives in their ancestral home. Not far from here.”

“Do they know you’ve been coming back by yourself?” Mingi asked, semi-aware that he was sticking his nose in too far again, but unable to stop his snowballing curiosity.

The boy actually blushed and turned away again. “No. But I honestly don’t think they’d notice. Everything is... well, everything is in chaos right now. It has been since that night.”

Again, that look was in his eyes and Mingi was scrambling to find something encouraging to say. “I-I’m sorry for your loss. Really.”

It all tumbled out in a bedraggled heap, Mingi’s face burning scarlet with embarrassment that it had taken him this long to say it. He wrung his hands and went back to watching the waves.

Again the sentiment seemed to go ignored, but for a slight wistful shake of the head from the boy.

“What’s your name?” Mingi asked when an acceptable amount of silence had been passed between them and he had made the decision to befriend the boy.

“Kim Hongjoong.”

“I’m Song Mingi,” Mingi offered a sweaty hand and tacked on with an embellishment, “Eleven years old.”

Hongjoong raised an eyebrow and accepted the handshake. “I’m twelve.”

Again Mingi was fighting the blush that swelled in his cheeks. He had been certain this boy was younger than him.

He had also been certain he was a good-for-nothing thief, but that had clearly been false. This was a victim, not a mischief maker.

“Well, nice to meet you, I guess.”

Hongjoong smiled a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, but he was trying. “You too. I should probably be getting back.”

Together they stood and brushed themselves off, Mingi trying to create a sustainable olive branch to offer.

“It’s alright if you want to come around again some time,” he finally said as they began walking back the way they came. “I won’t yell at you, I promise.”

“You can’t say the same for your brother, though,” Hongjoong pointed out offhandedly.

“Why, have you met him too?” Mingi’s brow furrowed in confusion. He had been fairly sure Minseok hadn’t ventured outside hardly at all in their stay at the cottage so far.

“No, just seen him through the windows.” Hongjoong’s eyes slid over inquisitively, curiosity worn openly on his face for the first time. “He seems... troubled.”

Mingi chuckled but had to concede the point. “I guess he is. He’s just upset we had to move here, like he always is when we relocate.”

“It must be hard,” Hongjoong acknowledged softly, peeking up at him with a hint of pity in his eyes. “Moving around so much.”

_Not as hard as your parents drowning unexpectedly_, Mingi wanted to say. But he thought better of it and shrugged it off instead. “I suppose I’m used to it by now. It’s just difficult to make and keep friends.”

Hongjoong smiled again, this one more real and heartfelt. “Well, you’ve got me now.”

He spoke as if it were an indisputable fact. As if the ten minutes the two of them had known each other outweighed all the broken friendships and long distance struggles of the past. Mingi didn’t have the heart to deny him.

“So, we’re friends?”

“Yes. Let’s be friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The mystery is solved (mostly)! I wrote this in two hours last night but I promise I'm working on the main series too, you ca expect it later this week :) Leave some comments and kudos if you enjoyed!


	5. Roots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Usually, Mingi was the second choice. The backup friend. He was included in important things, he got to play with the other children after school, but he wasn’t anyone’s first pick. They all knew he would move away in a month or two, so what was the point? Why waste your time on a boy who was practically just passing through? Mingi tried not to let it get to him, after all, he was used to it. And if he got too attached, he’d be even more heartbroken when they had to move away. 

When there was no immediate scolding that echoed through the house after Mingi cracked the front door open, he thought he had evaded it altogether. 

Still, as he crept through the hallway and up the stairs to his bedroom to pretend like he had been there all along, he heard voices echo up from the sitting room.

“Minseok, you’ve done the exact opposite of what I sent you out there to do.”

It was Father’s voice and he sounded very stern. Minseok must have been up to no good. 

Mingi paused in his flight to his room and crouched at the top of the staircase, pressing his face to the spindles and trying to get a look into the sitting room.

“Laziness has never been tolerated in this house, what made you think we would approve of you spending the day in a pub instead of looking for employment like you were told?”

Mingi rolled his eyes. Minseok never took their parents seriously. It was almost like he was biding his time until he had enough money to strike out on his own.

“But, Father, you’re completely missing the point,” Minseok argued back. “I made money! Probably even more than you did today.”

“You made money _dishonestly_ ,” Father cut him off, and now he sounded angry. “Don’t expect us to thank you for it.”

It seemed like the right moment for Mingi to slip away, and just as he turned and scaled the last few steps, he heard his name from the sitting room.

“Not so fast, Mingi,” his mother called, poking her head out from the wall and beckoning him over.

Mingi suppressed a sigh. He’d been caught.

“What were you doing running around the market earlier?” She asked, arms crossed.

Of course they had noticed. He had caused quite a racket after all, especially after almost being hit by a carriage.

Internally, Mingi was panicking. If he tried to explain about Hongjoong, his parents would jump to conclusions and assume he was a thief for breaking and entering. Yes, technically he had been breaking and entering, but the book he “stole” really belonged to him.

No matter what Mingi said, there was no way they’d simply let him go. What if they hunted him down and had him arrested?

No, it was far better that Mingi take the fall for running around the market... alone. He was good at little white lies anyway.

“No one was home, so I went exploring. I didn’t do anything dangerous, I promise.”

“Where did you go?” Father sighed, probably disappointed he had to deal with two irresponsible children instead of just one.

“Just the market and the beach,” Mingi said truthfully, cringing at his mother’s gasp.

“I told you to stay away from there! The waves are dangerous and the people in the market said another storm was on the way—”

“Aren’t you supposed to be studying anyway?” Minseok smirked. Mingi glowered back at his older brother where he sat, probably very pleased with how this conversation had taken a turn.

“He will be,” Father said firmly. “In his room, because he’s being punished. No excursions or playing outside for the rest of the week.”

Mingi bit back a groan and lowered his head.  _You asked for this_, he reminded himself.  _You could have ratted Hongjoong out instead._

“And don’t think we’ve forgotten about you, Minseok,” Father continued. “Find a real job, and return this money to the rightful owners.”

Minseok groaned audibly and the two of them trudged to their room in obedience. Honestly, Mingi thought Minseok had gotten off easy, but his reassurance of this fact went ignored as his hyung flopped onto his bed and turned his back to him. 

At least he wasn’t trapped inside like Mingi was, and just after he’d made a friend to play with, too. It was special to him, that Hongjoong considered him a friend, even after so little time knowing each other.

Usually, Mingi was the second choice. The backup friend. He was included in important things, he got to play with the other children after school, but he wasn’t anyone’s first pick. They all knew he would move away in a month or two, so what was the point? Why waste your time on a boy who was practically just passing through?

Mingi tried not to let it get to him, after all, he was used to it. And if he got too attached, he’d be even more heartbroken when they had to move away. 

It was probably better for him not to be tied down.

Rain pattered on the window and Mingi wondered if he’d actually gotten lucky with the timing. Now if only it would stop raining when his time of incarceration was up and he could play outside again.

Thankfully, he still had books he could read, so he picked up a guide to sailing so that he could at least feel a bit more confident in his tall tales at school, and snuggled into bed to read it.

A knock on his bedroom door roused him from the nap he didn’t remember taking and he called for the knocker to come in with a voice still scratchy from sleep. 

“Bosung?”

It was the boy he had spoken to at school earlier, standing there with a plate of food. The school day felt like ages ago now, especially with evening drawing in and angry grey clouds obscuring the sunset. 

“Oh, sorry to wake you,” the classmate chuckled. “Mind if I come in?”

Mingi rubbed his eyes and shook his head, gesturing for Bosung to take a seat on Minseok’s bed, which was empty now. He must have finished sulking and gone to find something else to do.

“My mother and I dropped by to give your family a dessert and your parents said you were up here,” Bosung explained, awkwardly glancing around the room. It wasn’t very nicely decorated, and Mingi wished he had cleaned it earlier. “We’re your new neighbours, you see.”

“We moved in last week,” Mingi stated, immediately flinching at how ungrateful he sounded. It was just that introductory food from neighbours was usually a first day phenomenon. 

“Sorry, we just had to be sure you were actually staying around,” Bosung apologised. “No one thought this place would sell, considering the accident. But I met you in school earlier and you seemed nice so... here we are.”

Mingi smiled and took the pie that was handed to him, digging in happily. Dessert before supper— Mother would never allow it. But Mingi mustn’t be rude and refuse a gift from his new neighbour. Especially not one this tasty.

“Your parents did mention that you weren’t allowed to play outside,” Bosung said with a slight cough. Mingi blushed at the fact that his parents had exposed him so readily to a stranger. “It’s dark and wet, anyway, though.”

“That’s true!” Mingi exclaimed, not bothering to wipe the cream off his face. “No one’s stopping us from playing  _inside_.”

Mingi threw off the blankets and went to his chest to pull out some figures he had brought with him from their previous home. Bosung smiled and joined him, and soon the two were chatting, and playing, and laughing.

It was like the shame of the afternoon and Mingi’s loneliness here were completely forgotten.

Perhaps making friends wouldn’t be so hard after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience everyone :) Main series will be updated soon, and I'm back on my feet to try and update regularly again if I can, so be sure to leave some love! Comments are my motivation <3


	6. The Folded Bluebird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingi suddenly blanched and thought back to his first day at school. He still hadn’t come clean about his complete inability to sail after that first conversation with Bosung, and it looked like now he was finally being tested on it.

The three month anniversary of the Song family’s arrival in town passed without incident to Mingi’s great relief.

Since that first week in the new house things had calmed down and started looking up.

His parents had a stable trade business going, Minseok had a job serving drinks at the pub he spent so much time at, and Mingi and Bosung played after school just about every day.

A couple of months in, Mingi had been holding his breath, waiting for the day his parents sat them down and explained that they’d be moving again, just like they always did when the weather got cooler and the term was halfway up. But each day came and went with not even the faintest notion of packing and leaving, and on their three month anniversary, Mingi felt assured enough to put away his suitcase.

It was a momentous occasion.

“We haven’t stayed in one place that long in at least the past five years,” he explained to Bosung as they walked home together, swinging their school bags carelessly and kicking colourful leaves out of their way.

“I’m sure you did when you were a baby,” Bosung pointed out. “Travelling with a three month old doesn’t sound very safe.”

“Well, of course,” Mingi scoffed. “But I don’t remember it. The longest I remember staying somewhere was that strange little farm town west of here. The bugs were huge so I mostly stayed inside.”

“You’re such a scaredy-cat,” Bosung giggled at him and linked their arms as they approached their street. “Are you coming to help finish the building project? The Heo family is moving in tomorrow and some things still need to be finished.”

Something else that was different for Mingi— other new people moving in. Being even newer than the Song family was a feat given how often they relocated, and Mingi was having a lot of mixed feelings about the idea.

Still he nodded as the pair passed by both of their cottages and stopped at the end of the street. It was where a brand new house was being built, everything fresh and shiny for the family moving in. Some tiles needed to be fixed on the roofing before it was deemed ready, so both the boys carefully made their way up to where Bosung’s father was already working.

“You know how to handle the tiles properly, right Mingi?” The man asked as Bosung immediately got to work. Being the son of an architect came with its perks. For a fleeting moment, Mingi was jealous.

“Of course!” Mingi lied quickly. “I’ve definitely done this before.”

If the man saw through his dishonestly, he didn’t say, but Mingi noticed the way he slowed down his work speed so Mingi could watch and copy what he was doing. 

By sunset the work was finished, and the boys sat, satisfied, on the newly tiled roof and looked out at the stunning view of the sea below them.

Mingi always thought of Hongjoong when he saw the ocean.

It had been a few weeks since he’d seen him, but most of the time if they saw each other it was at the beach.

Part of him felt guilty about neglecting the older boy, but really it was no one’s fault.

Hongjoong had a lot of responsibilities placed on him by his relatives and little time to play, and Mingi was busy with school and Bosung, so Hongjoong naturally fell through the cracks.

Mingi cringed as he thought back to last month when he’d tried to get the two to meet before learning they already knew each other from when Hongjoong used to attend school, before Mingi’s arrival. They had been neighbours and classmates, even though that wasn’t the case anymore.

It was easy to see that living with his extended family at Jangwon Hall changed things for Hongjoong and kept him cooped up there much more than he’d like, so Mingi felt relieved when he found him at the beach every once in awhile, free for a chat or a picnic.

“I heard one of the Heo family’s children is our age,” Bosung broke into Mingi’s thoughts casually.

“Really?” Mingi perked up. Three whole friends at once? That would be nothing short of a miracle. “I hope they’re nice.”

“Me too,” Bosung sighed contentedly. “We’ll be the three neighbours and friends.”

“But nothing will change between us, right?” Mingi asked after a pause. He hated to sound desperate, but he’d gotten invested in this friendship against his natural instincts, and he’d hate to see anything destroy it. “We’ll still be best friends.”

“Of course!” Bosung laughed, punching him lightly on the shoulder. “We’ll always be best friends.”

...

Mingi heard her before he saw her.

As he neared the schoolhouse, a laugh rang out and immediately caught his attention. It wasn’t a laugh he recognised and it was quite loud for so early in the morning, when he was practically still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

A new girl sat a couple of seats away from his, with a pretty red ribbon in her braided her, laughing at something Bosung told her.

The pair perked up when Mingi entered and made their way over to him as he dropped his bag on his desk.

“Mingi!” Bosung called. “This is Heo Dahye. Dahye, my best friend Song Mingi. He’s the one who lives a couple of houses down from you.”

Heo Dahye.

The new neighbour, a classmate their age... and somehow, Mingi hadn’t considered that she’d be a girl or that she’d be this pretty.

“Here, I made you this,” she broke into a smile and pulled something out from behind her back, shoving it into his hands. It was a little paper bluebird, crafted delicately from folding paper and decorated with colourful ink. It was cheery and pleasant— just like Dahye.

“Th-Thank you,” Mingi finally got out, returning a shy smile and setting the bird on his desk so it was facing him. It was like a little treasure. “Welcome to Panhang, by the way.”

“I got one, too!” Bosung interrupted, breaking the spell as he waved a red folded bird in Mingi’s face. “Isn’t she talented? I suggested she try making a sea turtle next.”

Dahye chuckled again before becoming distracted by the school mistress’ appearance and rushing off to give her a special folded bird of her own.

“She seems a lot more excited about moving here than you were,” Bosung prattled on as he took his seat. “Anyway, I asked her if she wanted to go sailing some time next week, just the three of us, since she’s never been on the ocean before. You can handle the boat, right?”

Mingi suddenly blanched and thought back to his first day at school. He still hadn’t come clean about his complete inability to sail after that first conversation with Bosung, and it looked like now he was finally being tested on it. But now that Dahye was involved, he couldn’t just fess up and let someone else go with them in his place.

“Y-Yes, I can do that... if you can find a boat for us to use...” he smiled weakly and opened up his textbook as class began, panicking internally.

Now he had Dahye _and_ Bosung to impress with his famed boating skills, and if Bosung was looking to show off as much as it seemed he was, there was no way he’d rent them a small, easy-to-use, canoe type vessel.

Mingi spent all day chewing his lip and looking for a solution before remembering— Hongjoong’s parents had been fishing when they died, which meant he most likely knew how to fish too, which meant he most likely also knew how to sail.

Suddenly, Mingi had a plan. 

While the three of them walked home, he peeked at the cliffside and hoped Hongjoong would be there. After making a flimsy excuse about needing to study, Mingi waited until Dahye skipped off to unpack and Bosung was gone to run down to the beach and pace in the sand at the place Hongjoong usually met him.

It was almost an hour until the older boy appeared, surprised to see Mingi waiting for him.

Mingi wasted no time, grabbing him by the arms and whispering in a low voice, “Hongjoong, I need you to teach me to sail by next week or my friendships are over and my reputation is destroyed.”

“Oh...” Hongjoong whispered back, removing himself from Mingi’s grip before looking around. “Why are we whispering?”

“I don’t know, I’m just nervous,” Mingi whined, pulling at his hair. “Why did I have to tell Bosung I was good at sailing, and  _why_ did he have to remember it and bring it up to Dahye...”

“I take it something happened?” Hongjoong ventured hesitantly, watching as Mingi flopped down in the sand.

“This new girl moved in and she’s amazing but Bosung decided to be a show off and offer up my nonexistent sailing skills to impress her. I can’t believe I singlehandedly ruined my own life.  _Unless_ ...”

“You want me to help you?” Hongjoong summarised for him, sitting down along side him. “You know, it takes more than a couple of days to become an expert.”

“Teach me how to fake it then?” Mingi squeaked, embarrassed. Here Hongjoong had probably been hoping they could catch up and play around for the first time in awhile and Mingi was begging impossible tasks from him instead.

Predictably, Hongjoong’s eyes dropped and he pulled his legs up to his chest with a sigh, gaze on the water as usual. “Mingi, I...  _don’t_ want to go back out there.”

It made sense. These waters were dangerous at times and full of particularly bad memories always.

“But you’re always here on the beach,” Mingi pointed out. “Haven’t you been out on the water since... that night?”

Hongjoong shook his head vehemently and inhaled a tremulous breath. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly after a pause. “I just can’t.”

Mingi swallowed the guilty lumps bunched up in his throat and nodded in understanding.

“However,” Hongjoong continued, turning to face him again. “I  _can_ teach you what I know from on dry land.”

A smile slowly grew on Mingi’s face and he leaned forward with expectation. “Do you mean it?”

Hongjoong nodded and beamed as Mingi tackled him in a hug. “It won’t be easy, but as long as you don’t sink, you should be fine.”

Mingi gasped and pulled away. “Don’t joke like that!”

Hongjoong ignored his comment and got to his feet. “Alright, listen up. Lesson one is starting now.”

Mingi grinned from ear to ear and raised an arm in mock salute. “Yessir!”

...

When the day arrived, Mingi felt like his heart would pump out of his chest.

“My parents said not to go too far out,” he prefaced as he inspected the boat, recalling the names and functions of all the sheets and ropes he had spent day and night studying about. It wasn’t just an excuse either, his mother still worried when it came to the sea.

“That’s fine by me,” Dahye chirped agreeably, peeking out from under the rim of a cute little sun hat, decorated with her trademark red ribbon.

Mingi let Bosung do most of the entertaining as soon as they were out on the water, focused on keeping them afloat and checking the weather.

There were a thousand and one things to be on top of and the time passed by quickly, gathering clouds sending them back to the beach when their afternoon was spent.

Relieved and resigned never to lie again, Mingi walked home with his friends and paid special attention to the way Dahye smiled at him in thanks.

“You did well for a first-timer,” she nudged him slyly as soon as Bosung had broken off when they reached his house.

“Wh-What?” Mingi spluttered, glancing around. “I don’t know what you mean. You’re the first-timer, not me.”

“Actually, I only said I’ve never been on the  _ocean_ . My father owned a riverboat service in the town we came from,” she giggled. Their pace slowed down as they neared Mingi’s cottage. “Besides, I saw you practicing on the beach with that other boy. I don’t remember seeing him in class, what’s his name?"

Pretty, talented, _and_ smart. Mingi could feel his cheeks getting warm the longer she stared at him.

“Uh, um, right, that’s Hongjoong. Kim Hongjoong, he lives at Jangwon Hall up the beach from here. Actually he used to live in my house— well, it’s a bit of a story.”

“I’ve got time,” Dahye smiled warmly and clasped her hands behind her back as they sauntered up the path towards her place.

“I’ll walk you home then,” Mingi offered eagerly, feeling something flutter in his chest.

He didn’t quite know what it was, but it was the start of something exciting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It’s been awhile since updating this one and suddenly we’re halfway through it?! (According to the outline that I may or may not follow, anyway) Well, I hope you liked it and don’t forget to give some love and have a nice day :)


	7. A Triumph and a Tragedy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eventually Mingi learned when you’re very sad, you simply exist. And that’s really all you can do for the time being.
> 
> Things were beginning to fall apart.

The steps leading up the path to Dahye’s house were familiar and grounding, with their neatly trimmed grasses and elegant statues by the gate. Dahye had moved from crafting paper figures to sculpting solid ones in her time at Panhang.

As for Mingi— Mingi was fifteen years old but he knew he was in love.

He clutched the flower bouquet in his sweaty hands and took a deep breath.

Today was the day he was going to confess that fact to Dahye and, if she returned the sentiment, officially begin courting her.

It had been just over three years since both Mingi and Dahye had moved to Panhang, and together with Bosung they had become inseparable.

When he considered them, Mingi realised these had been the best days of his life. He was at the top of his class in school, he had wonderful moments treasured up with his best friends, his family was happy and healthy, and this “new” town had actually become his home.

A real home. 

Something he had never had before.

On the evening of Mingi’s birthday last week, his father had seen how he smiled at her and taken him aside to offer some advice.

“Ask her now, before Bosung does.”

Mingi had paled and asked if it was that obvious and his father had smirked and told him it was obvious she liked him back, too. Apparently Mingi’s parents had become a couple around the same age and it was a small thing, but one that gave Mingi confidence.

Confidence enough to buy Dahye’s favourite flowers and turn up on her doorstep just after supper the next day.

Her parents already knew who was calling and why, so they directed him to the garden swing where she was waiting.

It had been a mild summer with an agreeable breeze blowing down from the hills, so they sat and talked for hours about many things, but to Mingi’s delight the first topic they agreed upon was that they had feelings for one another.

Watching the sun slide below the horizon on his short walk home, Mingi was perhaps the happiest he had ever felt. Somehow, he felt this one moment had affirmed him on the course of his life and it was good one.

Until he entered the sitting room and Mother shot to her feet from the armchair, clutching a wrinkled handkerchief, face falling a moment later as if she expected someone else.

Silently, he closed the door and stepped forward to have her explain. It was something to do with Minseok.

Mingi loved his brother. That much was true, and always had been.

He didn’t understand him, and he fought with him more often than not, but Mingi loved him and Minseok returned that love. Sometimes it was a ruffling of his hair, or a conceding nod and a smile— it was just how they expressed it.

Mingi loved his brother.

Which was why he could not believe his mother’s words when she told him Minseok was gone. Teary eyes peeked out at him from under her lids, hands clasped in front, and leaning forward as if he would bolt at any moment.

“He did us all in this time,” she cried. “And I fear we will never see him again.”

Minseok’s gambling issues had only been worsening in the past couple of years, despite multiple warnings from their parents. Mingi had noticed the behaviour and remained silent, knowing it wasn’t his place to beg Minseok not to make any rash moves that would hurt them. And everything had finally boiled over.

“He claims this old woman cheated him with some spell just at the opportune moment when he’d bet half our fortune— oh Mingi, my love, we’ll be ruined!”

So knowing this and thinking he could never be forgiven, he had run. Where to, none of them knew. And for a long time after his father returned alone from searching, Mingi wondered what had become of his brother.

On the heels of such joy, the worst pain he’d ever felt.

Eventually Mingi learned when you’re very sad, you simply exist. And that’s really all you can do for the time being.

Things were beginning to fall apart.

Dahye visited him the next week, and the two walked along the beach, not expecting to find Minseok wandering there, but taking in the fresh air and leaving the adults to deal with the aftermath at home.

Side by side, their footprints looked made for each other. Mingi had grown significantly, shooting up above the heights of all his friends, including Hongjoong who he didn’t see much of these days but who could often be found on the beach. He wasn’t out at the moment.

“What will your father do?” Dahye asked quietly, taking his hand and giving him time to answer.

“He can’t afford any more wares now that the witch put us in debt, so as soon as stock runs out, his merchant shop will be through,” Mingi explained, casting his teary eyes towards the sky. It was all just so unfair. “And he doesn’t know how to make anything with his hands so... I suppose he’ll have to find work.”

“Harvest is coming, you know,” Dahye suggested hopefully. “There’s always a need for fishermen.”

“My mother would never allow it,” Mingi sighed, remembering their first night in the cottage. “Not after... what happened to the Kims.”

Since her initial curiosity Dahye had gradually come to know Hongjoong’s story, at least Mingi’s version of it, and had taken a liking to him when she encountered him every once in awhile.

“But that was a tragedy, it only happened once! Besides the storms haven’t been nearly as bad this season,” she argued. “Surely your mother can be convinced?”

Mingi shrugged helplessly and clung on tight to Dahye’s hand in his.

The two were silent for awhile, pausing an watching the waves come and go, the glow of the lighthouse increasing as the sun went down.

Dahye leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed.

“I want to tell you your brother will be fine. He is grown, he ought to be able to take care of himself but... with his habits...”

“I know what you mean,” Mingi replied thickly. “He’ll be running all his life.”

Dahye nodded hesitantly and pulled him close. They’d get through this.

Yet even as he rested in her comfort, he couldn’t help but eye the horizon warily.

If a man was drawn to the sea in those parts, it was because he had nowhere else to go.

Predictably, Mingi’s mother immediately opposed the idea.

Even the combined force of Mingi and his father arguing for their fishing scheme was not enough to ease her worries, and Mingi stalked off to the beach again rather than push harder on an already strained marriage.

It was dark and he wasn’t allowed on the beach at night but he went out there anyway hoping for an answer to bump into him.

Strangely enough, that was exactly what happened, only the other way around. Hongjoong was wandering the shoreline too, watching the moonrise and taking a few well-earned breaths, this time in a small boat that he navigated just beyond the breakers.

Not realising he was being watched, he went about his business and soon returned the boat to the beach, dragging it up on the sand without noticing the tall boy running to meet him.

Mingi didn’t mean to knock him over but he was too excited to look where he was going and in the apologising mess of limbs he realised how lucky he was.

“Hongjoong!” He gasped.

“Yes?” Hongjoong coughed the rest of the sand out of his mouth.

“You can sail!”

Hongjoong looked surprised— at least from what Mingi could tell— but didn’t say anything about being afraid of the open ocean.

“I saw you! You were past the breakers,” Mingi panted, motioning in the general direction before taking his friend by the shoulders. “How long have you been back on the water?”

“I’m not sure,” Hongjoong said slowly, beginning to understand what was happening. “A year maybe?”

Without Mingi’s knowledge, Hongjoong had changed. But then again, he couldn’t expect him to remain the hollow boy he had chased into the market those years ago.

“I can’t believe you never talked about it,” Mingi laughed, chattering on without any explanation as to why he was there. “But then again, we haven’t seen each other much lately...”

“Right,” Hongjoong answered softly. “I... uh... heard about your brother. I know it’s been awhile since he left, but I couldn’t get away to see how you were. Is everything alright?”

Mingi sobered and wrapped his arms around himself. Instinctively, he almost answered “yes.” It didn’t matter how long it had been since he’d spoken with Hongjoong, they didn’t lie to each other.

So he just cut straight to the point.

“Father will be out of work within the week.”

Hongjoong blinked a few times and reached out a hand sympathetically. “I’m so sorry, Mingi. Do you have any idea what you’ll do?”

“I suggested fishing but Mother is against it,” Mingi huffed. “She said we’d have no idea what we’re doing anyway and that it would only be a waste of time.”

Trying not to push too much, especially having only just been reunited with Hongjoong, he let his voice drop and eyed the older boy carefully. “Unless... someone was with us who knows about fishing.”

Hongjoong nodded, a tiny smirk on his face. He knew what Mingi was after. “Someone like myself?”

Mingi bit his lip and abandoned all restraint. “Please, Hongjoong? I promise we’ll make it worth your while! You’ll be like a partner to us, I’m sure Father can divide up the pay fairly. Besides, I know you hate all the horrible work your family makes you do— wouldn’t this be better? I’ll even work with you, drop out of school if I must—”

Hongjoong interrupted him before he became too desperate, “Of course I’ll help you. I’ve been out far enough several times this season, I know where the best fishing grounds are. Shellfish harvesting, too, if you’d like. I’ll do anything I can to help you, you have my word.”

Mingi’s eyes were already brimming with thankful tears. If not for Hongjoong— and Dahye, who’s idea the whole thing was in the first place— he couldn’t imagine where he’d be headed. He might as well have run off like Minseok and enjoy his days before the loan sharks found him if not for their help.

“We just need to convince Mother then,” he sighed with satisfaction. Mother was much more agreeable in the mornings, and if they planned their attack well enough, Mingi had a feeling she’d surrender. 

“I can drop by your market stall tomorrow if you like,” Hongjoong suggested, already a step ahead. Mingi was once again eternally grateful for his strategic mind. “I’ll tell her there are schools of fish overpopulating with no one to farm them while the people starve, should that suffice?”

“I think so,” Mingi chuckled. Mother was always one to be riled up at rumours of death and devastation. “Make sure Father and I fit the job description, and don’t forget to brag about your sailing prowess.”

Hongjoong rolled his eyes and pushed Mingi over. “Subtlety is the trick, stupid.”

It was Mingi’s turn to spit out sand while Hongjoong giggled at him. “Hey, I’m serious! She already knows you survived one of the worst storms to hit Panhang, play to your strengths.”

The snorts of laughter died away and Mingi was suddenly afraid he had gone too far, but Hongjoong’s face was unreadable. He simply hummed and returned to his boat, dragging it out of the water and turning in the direction of Jangwon Hall.

“Alright, good luck getting hired!” Mingi called after him and Hongjoong waved back with a relaxed smile.

The light of the moon shone down on them, and Mingi felt a glimmer of hope again. It wouldn’t be easy, but they would be alright.

He was nervous all day at school waiting for his mother’s mind to be changed, but sure enough, when he returned she acquiesced and gave them her permission, conditional on their employing a certain boy.

That was the true beginning of Mingi and Hongjoong’s friendship.

Fishing was hard work, but Mingi enjoyed being taught by someone who wouldn’t make too much fun of him, so he went out on the water as often as he could in the following months.

A dozen or so little things he had never noticed about his friend began to pop out at him the more time they spent together, like the fact that he sometimes squeaked when he was laughing hard or the look in his eye when he was daydreaming.

Of course, there were things that bothered him too, like the way he refused to ask for help or the way he spent all his pay on jewellery, but it was like that with everyone Mingi knew. Even Dahye had certain annoying habits, and Mingi rarely ever found fault with Dahye.

Working meant spending less time with her, unfortunately, and with school in the morning and fishing in the afternoon if he could be spared, he had little energy to spend with anyone else.

They sat together and watched the sunset as often as they could while it was still mild, and it was enough to tide Mingi over when he was too tired for much else.

On returning home for bed, he found more and more frequently that Mother would stay out very late. The income they brought in from selling fish was decent, though lower than their previous occupation, but the family’s lifestyle hadn’t changed accordingly. Mingi began to suspect she was out working during the nights.

And the more it began to happen, the more he became suspicious of what type of work she was doing.

She pulled old dresses out of the closet and the entire house smelled of perfume before she left, and if Father had any complaints, he never voiced them.

He worked during the day, and his wife worked during the night. Her side of the bed was empty because she was in someone else’s.

And so Mingi watched her go from his spot atop the southeastern facing bluff, travelling into town where, hopefully, the strangers she serviced would treat her kindly.

There was nothing he could do but squeeze his eyes shut and try to sleep those nights, admonishing himself for jumping to conclusions and helpless to fix things if he was correct.

It seemed nothing he did was ever enough. No matter how many nets came back full, Mother wouldn’t rely on him. Her contingency plan could ruin them nearly as badly as Minseok’s blunder, and Mingi would do everything in his power to make sure it remained a secret, whether it was confirmed for him or not.

_ That’s what a loyal son must do _ , he thought as he glanced over at Minseok’s empty bed.

All his things remained, in the hopes that he would return one day, a prodigal son. But they couldn’t sit around and wait for him, Mingi knew this in his heart.

And so he would work until every last penny had been repaid. And he would keep his mouth shut like his life depended on it. For all he knew, it did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As stories often do, this will clearly be getting darker in its second half, so just be aware! Thanks for waiting, it's been a busy holiday but I'm trying to get back into a schedule so updates should be forthcoming, fingers crossed 🤞🏻 Don't forget to let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> I miss Mingi so I made this ! I may or may not have renamed his brother three times, but here we are so please give the work lots of love, as well as the other spinoffs and of course the original Treasure Series! Thanks <3


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